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Shenzhen Central Library and Book City

This article was originally published on March 8, 2010, in the Shenzhen Daily.
The information was accurate at that time, and may be outdated now. Use with caution.

Plaza between the central Book City (left) and the main library (out of frame,
right). Straight ahead is City Hall. Lianhua Shan (Lotus Hill) is behind me.

Shenzhen boasts a number of wonderful public spaces. One of the largest stretches from the Citizens' Center ("City Hall") all the way to Lianhuashan, or Lotus Hill, Park in the center of Futian.
Smack in the middle of all this are two oases for book lovers.

Central Book City

The first is the large central branch of Book City, Shenzhen's largest bookstore chain (actually, the local branding for China's Xinhua chain).

One area will be of special interest to English readers.

In the northern section of the main store (accessed from Exit C of the Shaoniangong Metro Station), you'll find plenty of textbooks on the basement floor, and more general books--classics, Chinese literature in English, and some current books--on the ground floor. There is also a large CD store in the northern zone.

[The original article also described "Yiwen Imported Books store" which is no longer there.]

To round out your experience, you'll find lots of refreshments in several name-brand coffee shops and chain restaurants.

Shenzhen Library

Shenzhen Library and the Shenzhen Concert Hall from atop Lianhua Shan

To the west of the Book City complex is the Shenzhen Library and the Shenzhen Concert Hall.

Although, naturally, most of the materials are in Chinese, the library has a great selection of international magazines on the 5th floor (limited hours 9-5, closed Monday). Some foreign books are available, too, on the 2nd floor, and public computers are on the 4th floor. The library is open 9-9, closed Monday.

The library was designed by internationally acclaimed Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and the architecture alone is worth the trip--some of the best I've seen in China. See the gallery below for some idea of the design.